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VirTrue: Obedience (Obedientia) a Part of Faith

VirTrue - Helping Man Grow in Truth and Virtue

🎙️ Intro Welcome to VirTrue, where we work together to turn away from vice and adopt the virtuous life we are called to. I’m your host, Jethro Higgins.Today on VirTrue, we’ll be looking at the virtue of Obedience. Reading Recommendation Before we get started, I want to make a quick pitch for a friend of mine. Michael Lichens is the author of a fantastic book by the title of Weird Catholic Handbook. Take a unique Catholic journey through the stories of the saints, churches decorated with bones, werewolves, ghosts, and dragons. Michael offers the reader an amazing perspective from his travels to holy sites around the world, with a wit reminiscent of G.K. Chesterton. I cannot recommend this book more highly. You won’t be able to put it down. And now back to VirTrue… 📖 Virtue Description Obedience is the virtue by which you submit your will to rightful authority for the sake of God. It is not weakness.It is not passive compliance. It is the deliberate choice to align your will with truth rather than with yourself. At its core, obedience is about surrender. Not just what you will do.But what you want. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches: “Obedience is a moral virtue… whereby a man obeys the command of a superior in those things wherein he is subject to him.”(Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.104, a.2) And: “Among all moral virtues, obedience is the greatest.”(Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.104, a.3) Why? Because obedience requires the surrender of the will itself. This is why obedience became foundational in the rules of life established bySt. Benedict of Nursia, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Dominic. Not as control.But as order. Without obedience: There is no unity.No mission.No transformation. Obedience orders life toward God and frees us from self-will. Obedience is also a knightly virtue. A soldier who refuses obedience cannot accomplish the mission. Even if he is strong.Even if he is skilled. Without obedience, there is chaos. With obedience, there is coordination, purpose, and victory. A knight submits not because he lacks strength,but because the mission is greater than himself. Obedience does not reject reason.It submits reason to truth. And this is where it becomes difficult. Because obedience will often ask you to do what you would not choose. To trust when you would rather control.To follow when you would rather lead. Obedience says: I am not the final authority.I will receive what is true. Even when it costs me. Because the greatest obstacle to holiness is not ignorance. It is self-will. And obedience is the virtue that breaks it. ⚠️ Vice of Deficiency: Disobedience (Inobedientia) What It Is Disobedience is the refusal to submit one’s will to rightful authority, choosing self-will over God’s order. It is not merely breaking a rule.It is rejecting authority. It says: I will decide for myself.I will not submit. Why It Fits Obedience surrenders the will to rightful authority.Disobedience asserts the will against it. Where obedience receives truth,disobedience replaces it with preference. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches: “By disobedience a man shows contempt for the command of his superior.”(Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.104, a.2) This is not accidental. It is a rejection of order. The Root of the Fall Disobedience is the pattern of every fall. Adam and Eve chose their will over God’s command. Tradition summarizes Satan’s rebellion as: “Non serviam.”“I will not serve.” This is the essence of disobedience. What It Looks Like * Ignoring rightful authority * Selective obedience * Delayed compliance * Outward conformity with inward resistance * Justifying what you know is wrong It often disguises itself as independence. But it is resistance to order. Disobedience fractures unity.It disrupts mission.It isolates the soul. Because when the will refuses rightful authority,it makes itself the authority. ⚠️ Vice of Excess: Obsequiousness (Obsequiositas) What It Is Obsequiousness is the disordered submission of the will to unworthy or illegitimate authority. It is not obedience. It is compliance without truth. Why It Fits Obedience submits to rightful authority under God.Obsequiousness submits to whoever holds influence. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that conformity becomes disordered when it is done for fear, gain, or approval rather than truth. The will is still submitting. But to the wrong authority. What It Looks Like * Trusting authority without discernment * Following media, political, or cultural influence blindly * Changing your views to match power * Seeking approval over truth * Remaining silent when truth costs you It feels like wisdom. But it is rooted in influence, not truth. The Deeper Problem Obsequiousness is misplaced loyalty. You still submit your will.But to the wrong authority. God → Truth → Authority → You Becomes: Authority → Opinion → You God is no longer first. 🔥 My Life I tend to be obedient to legitimate authority. I follow rules. I value order. But my struggle has been obsequiousness. There are moments when authority slowly drifts away from what is right. And if you are not careful, you drift with it. Like a slow boil. You do not notice when obedience becomes misdirected. True obedience requires vigilance. Not just submission. 🌍 The Secular Perspective The world often claims obedience is oppressive. But it is selective. It rejects obedience to Godwhile demanding obedience to culture, politics, and power. The issue is not obedience itself. It is who you obey. 🌿 Example Saint: St. Ignatius of Antioch Martyr of Ecclesial Obedience Lived: c. 35–107From: Antioch, SyriaMission: Bishop, martyr in Rome St. Ignatius embodies obedience as unity with God through rightful authority. On his way to martyrdom, he called the Church to remain united under its rightful leaders. Not as control.But as order. Why he fits * Obedience that builds unity * Submission to rightful authority * Faithfulness unto death His teaching “Where the bishop appears, there let the people be; just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” The key insight Obedience is not isolation. It is alignment. To step outside rightful authorityis to step outside unity. 💬 Tell Me What You Think Share your thoughts in the comments. Have you struggled with obedience? Also, please like and share wherever you listen to podcasts to help VirTrue grow. And, please consider supporting our mission to spread virtue by becoming a paid subscriber. 🌿 Continuing the Journey Through Faith Chastity is not an isolated virtue. It is one branch growing from the theological virtue of Faith. When faith orders the intellect toward divine truth, the rest of the person begins to come into right order as well. Chastity governs sexual desire according to that truth, but the Christian life requires the full integration of all the sub-virtues flowing from faith. To better understand the foundation of this virtue, return to: * Faith (Fides) → The Theological Virtue of Faith As we continue growing in virtue together, remember that these virtues are deeply connected: * Chastity (Castitas) → Ordering sexual desire according to reason, divine revelation, and authentic love * Continence (Continentia) → Strengthening self-control and resistance to disordered desire * Religion (Religio) → Rendering proper worship and obedience to God * Reverence (Reverentia) → Forming respect for God, the human person, and the dignity of the body * Obedience (Obedientia) → Submitting the will to rightful authority and divine law * Decorum (Decorum) → Ordering outward behavior so our lives reflect truth inwardly * Affection (Affectus) → Rightly ordering the emotional life toward authentic love rather than impulse Together, these lively virtues help restore the human person through faith, hope and charity. And they continue preparing us for the broader journey through the seven virtues, the cardinal virtues, and the full Christian life rooted in Jesus Christ. 🙏 Act of Obedience O my God,You are the source of all truth and rightful authority. I acknowledge that You have established order in the world,and that I am called to freely align my will with what is true. I confess that I have often chosen my own will over what is right,resisting the authority You have placed over me. I resolve, with Your grace,to submit my will to what is true, good, and ordered to You. I will obey rightful authority for love of You,not out of fear, but out of trust. I will not place myself above Your law,nor follow the voice of the world when it leads me away from You. Strengthen me to surrender my will,to choose obedience when it is difficult,and to remain faithful even when it costs me. Amen. 🙏 Prayer Lord, bless us with faith, hope, love, prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice that we may live as you intended man to live, in all virtue and righteousness. Help us to flee from sin, and avoid all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Protect us with a spiritual hedge in front of us, behind us, above us, below us, to our right, and to our left, within us, and all around us, and seal it with the blood of your precious Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to keep you in everything that we think, say, and do. Amen. Go out and fill the world with virtue. Deus vult. Follow Us on Social Media and Popular Podcast Networks: Get full access to The Social Catholic at socialcatholic.substack.com/subscribe